Suicide Car Bomber Attacks Afghan Capital

A NATO soldier stands at the site of a suicide car bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2015.

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Suicide Car Bomber Attacks Afghan Capital

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ISLAMABAD —

A Taliban suicide car bomber has attacked a convoy of foreign troops in Kabul during the morning rush hours.

An Afghan police officer said three civilians were wounded, but would not say whether any foreign troops were hurt in Sunday's attack. Ambulances were seen leaving the site in a busy part of the Afghan capital.

Local television stations showed live pictures of a destroyed military vehicle.

A spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission has confirmed its convoy was hit.

Taliban's statement

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has emailed a detailed statement about the attack to VOA. He says the suicide car bombing was carried out in response to air raids by foreign troops in different parts of Afghanistan, including Kunduz, which killed Afghan civilians, including doctors.

He claimed that at least 12 people were killed in the bombing Sunday, though the militant group is known for exaggerating the death tolls in similar attacks. Afghan and NATO authorities have not reported any deaths from the attack.

Taliban insurgents overran Kunduz in a stunning assault in late September, prompting a massive counter-offensive by Afghan security forces backed by U.S. airstrikes that retook most of the city.

One of the air raids on October 3 mistakenly struck a hospital in Kunduz run by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF, according to U.S. military and civilian officials.

The attack left at least 22 people dead, including 12 MSF staff and 10 patients. Thirty-three are still missing, according to the charity group. All the victims were Afghans.

Taliban fighters have mostly withdrawn from Kunduz, but some are still hiding in civilian homes and carrying out ambushes against security forces, according to Afghan officials.

US Embassy warning

On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned its citizens that militants were planning to conduct a "complex" attack "on or about" October 12 using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and suicide bombers against the U.N. headquarters or other facilities in the city.

"The security situation in Afghanistan is extremely unstable, and threat to all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan remains critical. U.S. citizens currently visiting or residing in Afghanistan may wish to consider departing," the embassy said in a statement.